Chapter 10
"Base, this is Ross, we're close to our target." Six armored men were moving violently through the foliage, leaving a trail of broken leaves and brush behind them. All six had tranquilizer guns. . The man behind the leader tapped him on the shoulder and spoke to him.
"Ross?"
"Yeah Walters?"
"Seeing as they finally let you bring a real gun," he said, referring to the pistol holstered at Ross's side, "Just want you to know we'll back you up if you see fit to use it."
"Thanks," Ross replied blankly.
"They must think this is serious, haven't let us carry anything lethal since we came here." Smith said.
"I just want to get this over with while there's still daylight," Ross said, eying a glowing orange Sun, which was moving closer to the horizon by the minute.
At Ross's signal, they slowed their pace to a crawl. "Should be just beyond these trees," he whispered.
Following a hand signal, they spread out into a crescent formation, and continued forward. A call came out from Rogers, one of the shorter men in the group:
"I found something! Parachute caught in tree!" As they closed in on their target, they suddenly found themselves in stunned silence. Then the silence seemed to break all at once.
"What the…"
"It's one of them!"
"In a parachute?"
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Ross tried to calm them down, but inside he was just as confused. They were supposed to be here checking for survivors from the plane that was shot down. A parachute was caught in a tree with a limp body attached, but this had to be some mistake. From what he knew, there weren't any other cat people off the island. Still, this blond one didn't ring a bell.
"Is she dead?" He asked the unit medic.
The medic carefully moved towards the hanging cat woman. He took her pulse.
"She's alive alright," he said. "Just knocked out. No real damage."
"Funny, I don't remember any of the escapees matching her description. Better let her down boys. Base will be interested in this."
"#$ this, just kill her."
Ross turned quickly; it was Walters, "What's that?"
Ross expected Walters would simply mumble 'Nothing' and that would be that, but Walters had a look in his eye Ross had never seen in him before. "These freaks have been killing our buddies for weeks. We finally have the means to wax one and you're turning it down?"
"Walters, I know McCloud was your friend-"
"Don't tell me what you know! In this business, we watch each other's back. We have to take one down, prove to them we're serious."
Ross shook his head, "This ain't retaliation, this is execution. We don't do that."
"I disagree."
Ross suddenly turned to find himself at the barrel of his own gun by Rogers. He checked his picked holster, then boomed "What the $# is this?"
"Sorry Ross," Rogers said. "But we agreed on this before hand." His free hand indicated the rest of the group. "If we found one of these freaks, and the opportunity arose, we'd all see that it gets its head blown off."
Ross's eyes were shocked. He glared in anger at each of them, their expression confirming Rogers' words. "That a fact?" He shouted angrily, "Hernandez? Russell? Smith?"
Smith came forward. His face was almost apologetic. "We know you're a stickler for the rules, but us, we've been here for months now, and searching for these escapees for weeks. We've lost men to them; all the while watching the ones back at base like we're their &$# babysitter." By now his expression had become contorted, his voice sharp. "If you don't want part of this Ross, fine, walk away."
"Or what, you'll shoot me?" Ross said, defiantly; he inched closer to the gun.
Rogers pointed the barrel at Ross's head, "Months on a deserted island watching freaks? Can drive a man crazy. Don't push it."
Ross stood still for several seconds before backing up slightly. He spoke vacantly "I'm heading back to base. See you there." He then turned and slowly walked toward base. In a few seconds he had disappeared from sight behind the cover of the jungle.
"Alright boys," Rogers said with an evil gleam in his eye. "Six bullets to use however we please. Since Ross was such a &#$, we have one extra to share. I think Walters here should get the extra shot." There were laughs as they all nodded. Ross handed Walters the gun. "How about it? Where does the first bullet go?"
Walters took the gun and smiled, scanning up and down the limp creature before him. "I'm going to make sure she wakes up first. She needs to suffer."
The others cleared away to give him a clear shot. "Alright pussycat, how about one right in the-"
He was cut off. Almost instantly, the gun was gone, and a splash of blood came from his wrist and throat. The others quickly drew their guns, but the massive gray blur was upon them instantly. Russell fell before Rogers even managed to get his gun up. Suddenly, the shadowy mass was directly in front of him. He shot instinctively, praying as hard as he could remember. Then, elation! The dart stuck right into the thing's thick furry hide. It didn't last long. The creature didn't slow down at all. Rogers felt a sharp penetration into his skull before he fell over dead. Three down. Another dart lodged into the creature's back, this one from Hernadez. The tall, broad shouldered man then pulled a combat knife from his boot and charged, leaping wildly. He found himself flipped over the creature's shoulder, landing on the back of his neck, with an audible snap. Hernadez lay motionless. Four down.
Suddenly, a third dart lodged into the beast's back. He turned, fixing his yellow, glowing eyes on Smith, fangs borne, claws extended. Smith had no where to run now, and his gun was spent. Seeming to know this, the creature lurched forward slowly, taking its time. Suddenly, Smith saw it-Ross's pistol, lying on the ground. He would have to dive for it. He glanced one way, then dashed for the pistol, leaping, hand stretched out, only to see the gun taken out from under him. The creature stared at the gun angrily, then tossed it aside. It now looked especially irritated at the annoying little man in front of him. Smith began to whimper. When it had come within a foot of him, he went to his knees and begged.
"Please look, I didn't want to do it myself, I got pressured-" He was suddenly lifted up by the neck, held in a vice like grip, rising from his knees till his feet dangled as he was brought face to face with the beast.
"Do you think I enjoy spilling your blood?" The creature boomed. Smith was looking right into his eyes, burning pools of yellow fire. "You are not food, leave us alone, and we will not be your enemy." He threw him to the ground harshly. "Tell your masters they will not harm or capture another free one. Anyone who tries will be killed."
Smith ran away as fast as he could, bumping into trees and bushes as he went.
A soft moan came from behind him.
"Selina!" he exclaimed, rushing to her. "Are you injured?"
"I don't think so." She said in barely a whisper. "Who…What was that noise?"
"That was the men with guns. The others called them, 'mer-sin-aries.' They are gone now."
"Others?" Selina woke up a bit more, she looked around, seeing the carnage around her, the guns…and the three darts lodged in the back of… "Tygrus, you're hurt! What happened here?"
"In a moment, now we must leave."
Quickly detaching her straps, he laid her down gently at the foot of the tree.
"Can you run? I can carry you if you cannot."
"I…think so. Let me try to stand up." She held her head in one hand, grimacing as she placed her other hand against the tree. She planted her feet, and lifted herself up.
"I think it's just a bump," she said with a sigh of relief. She stood before Tygrus, her head coming up to his chest. They seemed to stare for a few seconds, until Tygrus' ears twisted slightly.
"They're coming,"
"Yes, I hear them too, let's go."
Tygrus dropped to all fours and shot away. Selina didn't have time to think about it; she lowered herself to the ground and pursued him. They cut through the jungle like lightening. Twisting and turning around trees at breakneck speed. Letting go of her fear and confusion, Selina began to feel exhilarated. She was running faster than ever before, and she felt no signs of tiring. Tygrus was faster still, in fact she feared she might lose him in the thick plant life, but his scent led her just as strongly. It was like poetry in motion, navigating the forest in ways she never thought humanly-or inhumanly-possible.
Feeling suddenly competitive, she picked up her pace, till she almost pulled even with Tygrus. She turned to smile as they ran, but something was wrong with him. His head seemed to bob, his eyes seemed drowsy. The tranquillizer darts! They were affecting him after all.
She pulled slightly ahead of him and slowed to a stop yelling "Tygrus! Slow down! You're not well."
Tygrus stopped, and slowly rose to two legs, stumbling slightly. "Selina, we need…to keep….to keep moving." He began to fall, but braced himself against a tree.
Selina placed herself under Tygrus' arm, almost disappearing under its bulk. "Just keep walking," Selina tried to sound encouraging. "We got a good head start; they surely can't find us now."
Selina's comparative size betrayed her remarkable strength, but holding up Tygrus was still hard. And Tygrus was slowly slipping out of consciousness.
"Stay awake now!" she said with a grunt, shifting her weight slightly. She needed to keep talking. "So, you're probably wondering why I'm back, and why I look like this."
Tygrus wheezed a bit, "Did…the…thing…I gave….you…"
"Oh it worked, just not forever. I've been like this for about…a week is it?"
Tygrus fought to keep his eyes open, "Selina, I am sorry."
"It wasn't your fault."
"No…I mean, for…not saving you."
Selina sounded surprised, "But you just did."
"Not for long…listen."
Selina turned her head. Yes, footsteps. At least eight pairs. They were drawing close. "Don't worry," she said desperately, "We're going to escape together."
"Must leave…find others…chance they…won't kill…"
"After what you did back there?!" She suddenly realized she shouldn't have shouted. They were moving faster now.
"Goodbye Selina." With that, Tygrus slumped into unconsciousness. Unable to carry him alone, Selina gently lowered him to the earth. What could she do? She had to hide them both. But where? She scanned the area frantically. Nothing…nothing...wait, just perhaps…
She quickly shot over to a small hill, and looked over the side. What luck! A small cave! She propped herself against Tygrus, and using all of her might, rolled him up the incline, and tried to gently pull him over the hill. She was rather unsuccessful on the gentle part, as Tygrus plopped on top of her, his limp body pinning her to the ground. She could hear voices in the distance. They were almost here! She mustered all her strength and moved Tygrus off of her in one push, then rolled him into the mouth of the cave. It went roughly thirty feet down and back. It was dim and damp, and a bit narrow for them both, but it would have to do. Having reached the back wall, she looked for cover. To the left, in a corner, there was a small crevice, just big enough for Tygrus but not both of them. She rolled him over to the corner, then lifted him into it, his back leaning against the crevice wall, out of the line of sight from the entrance. Sighing heavily, she then turned and knelt low, becoming as small as possible, her eyes fixed on the entrance.
The sounds were above them. Heavy footsteps, the clacking of body armor, the cocking of weapons. They echoed through the ground to her ears. Please keep going, she prayed. They stopped. One spoke that he thought he heard the scream from here. Someone gave the order to split up. The footsteps and voices scattered. One, no two were climbing the hill. She could here them stop at the top. And with two loud thumps that resonated down the cave passage to the wall behind them, she saw them at the cave entrance.
One of the men was taller, with straw colored hair, having apparently lost his helmet earlier. The other was short, stocky, and had the face of a pug behind his sunglasses and helmet.
"Got your torch?" The taller man said in an accent that reminded Selina of south London.
"Yeah," the other replied gruffly. "But I don't like this, they don't need flashlights."
"Well take my extra pistol then." He said. "I snuck it out. Keep it on the hush tough."
The pug faced man cocked the pistol and nodded, apparently satisfied. He removed his glasses to reveal two cold, dark brown eyes. They both lit their flashlights and moved slowly down the cavern, staying close to each other, waving their lights all about the darkness. Selina stayed low, their lights going over her head several times. With her eyes, she could see them plain as day, but they seemed to be unable to see in front of their faces without the lights. They were twenty feet away now…now fifteen. Selina thought for sure they could see her. But they kept walking. Ten feet…five. They were almost on top of her. Selina held her breath, and readied her claws. The tall one was at literally a whisker away now. Selina was crouched directly to his left; he was still looking forward.
Suddenly, a transceiver call: "Guys, wrap it up, we have guards down a few miles south of your position. Need assistance, over."
After a brief pause, the tall man responded. "Roger that, it looks like our trail here is dry." They both ran up and out of the cave.
The sounds soon vanished. Selina finally exhaled. She waited a few more minutes, then pulled Tygrus out of the crevice, stopping to pluck the embedded darts from his body. It was difficult. They were small, dime sized and deep into the skin. She finally managed to rip one out, slightly more violently than she had intended, to which she was surprised to hear Tygrus suddenly let out a roar of pain. She had woken him up.
He was still a bit groggy, but he managed to hold still and merely wince as she removed the other two. The bleeding was fortunately minimal. In a few minutes, Tygrus finally felt well enough to sit up and thank Selina for her quick thinking. It was now dark outside, and cave was becoming icy.
"This isn't healthy with you and your open wounds," Selina said. "You rest here; I'll find some dry wood to make us a fire." She began to stand up, but Tygrus grasped her arm tightly, blurting out:
"Selina wait! It is dangerous, I will go." He immediately tried to stand up but only stumbled face first to the floor.
Selina leaned over him and said softly, "I'll be quick, and I'll be careful."
Tygrus nodded dejectedly. Selina then carefully climbed out of the cave. Within minutes she had returned with several twigs and dry leaves, and a small fire was roaring. Tygrus seemed to quickly regain his senses in the warmth of the fire, even commenting on her method of conjuring it.
Selina's slitted emerald eyes showed surprise, "So you know how to make fire? Did you figure that out on your own?"
"I learned mostly from reading some of Father's books. There was one about a foolish man called "Build a Fire" I think. I remember father had a lot of books made by the same man."
Selina sat staring for as Tygrus went on about how strange the cold places in those books were to him before suddenly interrupting, him. "Tygrus!" she said, sounding even more shocked than before, "You can read?"
"Father taught me some. Long ago. But he stopped after I had learned only a few words. I don't think he wanted me to read, but he needed to know if I could. I would search Father's books occasionally when he was not looking. They were usually much too hard for me to understand, but after I was a alone…I had much time to practice." Tygrus paused and ran his hand slowly above the fire, testing its warmth. "Not everything was burned in Father's castle. Parts of his library were spared."
"That's great! That might hold the information that can change me back!" Selina exclaimed.
As she said this, she saw a look on Tygrus' face that brought her back to that night she left, and she realized how horrible this must be for him. To have his dream dangled in front of him, only to be snatched up again so quickly, but then a slight smile seemed to crawl across his face, revealing a row of fine daggers. The light of the flames danced over them.
"Let's hope so," he said as he lowered himself to his stomach and seemed to curl around the fire. "We still have some way to go to the others." Catching the question in Selina's eyes, he said, "We'll be able to travel a bit slower tomorrow, perhaps we shall share more stories then. For now, we need the rest. Sleep well Selina"
And with that, he rolled slightly to his side, fully relaxed himself and was instantly in a deep sleep.
That was abrupt, she thought. Probably the right idea though. Selina lay on her side, trying to get comfortable on the cold, slightly damp rock floor. For the first time, she began to wonder what happened to the rest of her friends. Had Batman survived? Batgirl? The Cheetah? She'd have to find a way to contact them, but how? She sighed. She couldn't worry about that now, she needed to focus on surviving, and for now that meant staying close to Tygrus.
Tygrus, she had only caught a glimpse of the battle at her landing spot, but she could tell she had been fortunate for him to show up at that moment. She stared at him from across the flames. For the first time since their abrupt reunion she had a chance to simply look at him. He didn't seem as monstrous as her memories. Oh he was certainly fearful to look at, just like the jungle cats at the zoo, but not in a repulsive way. His body had a sleek, elegant design, with a triangle shaped coal black nose tipping a long, squared muzzle, continuing to form a solid gray head, his large eyes closed, long pointed ears laid gently over his head, from which flowed a mane of grey fur, stretching from the back of his head along a back roped with muscles that were simply beyond anything she had seen in man or cat before. Not just the size, but the symmetry, wide in the chest, tight in the waist, then fully padding his thighs and calves. His hands and feet lay limp at his side, twitching slightly, a bit of blood from the fight earlier still clinging to Tygrus' sheathed claws.
His scent also hung heavy in the cave. She thought she could smell all the places he had been the last few days, and even a few other creatures which she couldn't identify that he come across. His scent still declared he was 'alone' however, an unclaimed male.
That last thought shook Selina slightly. She needed to stay focused. She couldn't even entertain thoughts like that, she wouldn't lose her humanity now, after coming this far. She shook her head, took a few breathes to clear her mind, and relaxed. There, she was fine now. She had a lot to do tomorrow. Best get some rest. She closed her eyes, and in minutes lie fast asleep.
